Charging Forward

In the ongoing EV revolution, SPATCO keeps the batteries running

Electric vehicles are here to stay.

Enthusiastic consumers are boosting sales, OEMs are continuing to invest in EV technology, and market gurus see plenty of growth. This year, J.D. Power expects EV retail share growth to reach 9.1% of the total automobile marketplace, or a total of 1.2 million vehicles sold. Their forecast calls for that number to rise to 26% by 2030. As the demand increases, so does the need for reliable, cost-effective, and safe EV charging infrastructure.

Executive orders have frozen federal funds for electric vehicle charging stations made available through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program (NEVI) and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program. Over the years commercialization of EV technology has greatly reduced the need for government dollars, but the appearance of broad market vulnerability has the potential to stall decision-making for businesses considering charging station investments.

Miguel Payan

“From an infrastructure consumer standpoint, it does affect their mindset and the behaviors,” explained Miguel Payan, Vice President and General Manager of EV Solutions for SPATCO Energy Solutions. “The pause in funding drives a big impact in the way customers think about the timing of their investment. ‘Do I invest now? If I do, I’m not going to get subsidies like I used to before. So maybe I wait. Or maybe I just don’t make the investment at all.’”

Some states and many utilities still have incentives, and in Payan’s view, those will continue even if the federal government pulls out of the market completely. “Even without grants from the federal government, we still need charging infrastructure because the OEMs are selling EVs. Consumers like you and I are now seeing parity of price between EV and gas vehicles, and they will continue to be sold.”

The hold on incentives will also impact the way potential customers assess the economic feasibility of their investment. “It’s not only thinking about the timing of the investment, but it’s also considering if their investment will make sense over time,” he pointed out.

Payan’s division designs, engineers, and installs charging sites and auxiliary systems such as ESS energy storage systems, offering comprehensive service and maintenance solutions for a true turnkey experience. “Our higher-level role is to be the most reliable and cost-effective partner for our customers to deploy EV chargers wherever their location may be within our footprint and to maintain and service those chargers when needed.”

SPATCO Energy Solutions began serving the energy needs of Charlotte, N.C., in 1935. Today, SPATCO Energy Solutions, is the leading single-source supplier of innovative liquid handling equipment and service for petroleum, industrial, diesel exhaust fluid, electrical, construction and EV solutions. Their EV solutions business leverages its design-build-install-service capabilities to provide a one-stop shop for customers seeking to invest in charging stations.

SPATCO branches, installers, electricians, and service technicians can be found across 33 branches in 15 southeastern states. From Maryland to Florida and Texas, attention to customer service and quick response times is the heart of the business.

These infrastructure experts handle everything from hardware procurement to construction and electrical installation to service and maintenance. The industry trailblazer creates ideal customer solutions from return-on-investment, reliability, and ease of use perspectives, as well as finding new ways to save time and money while maintaining superior levels of safety and quality. Innovations include deploying four-person construction and electrical service teams, using prefabricated pads for the chargers that can be easily shipped, and mounting chargers on sleds that can shave hours off of charger setups.

“To deploy an EV charging solution necessitates not only a deep understanding of the technical solution, but also of the key elements of the installation. Our team is top-notch, and we invest a lot of resources to ensure their ongoing development,” Payan stressed.

SPATCO customers include gas stations, convenience stores, auto dealerships, property managers, commercial fleets, municipalities, and hotels. “We meet them where they are,” he said. “We can start the conversation from the very beginning, explaining what EV charging is all about, assessing a customer site for economic feasibility – will they make money from EV charging in a timeline they are comfortable with, for example?”

SPATCO also procures the necessary equipment from chargers to electrical hardware and can connect customers to a Charging Point Operator that can provide the necessary software to operate and monitor the infrastructure. “Deploying an EV site is not rocket science but requires extensive planning up front, rigorous discipline while executing the project plan, and on-going communication with the customer. Most importantly, it requires a customer service mindset and self-pride to deliver the best you can.”

Having a robust ecosystem of partners is paramount to their success. “Our end goal is to serve that customer with our design-build-service capabilities and the best way for us to do that is to be part of the entire EV transition conversation,” Payan explained.

That ecosystem allows SPATCO to develop customized solutions. “Getting EV charging on your site can take form in different ways with different business models for the site owner,” he added.

“Having the right partner to guide you through the journey makes adoption much less challenging. EV charging solutions and the architecture of those can be complex, but it is part of our job as SPATCO and part of this industry to make that easy for customers.”

The multi-dimensional technology journey Payan leads includes explaining evolving EV charging solutions to customers and internal stakeholders. “Part of the challenge is to simplify the way we speak about a charging solution which today entails several links in an evolving value chain, as well as several actors within those links,” he said.

“EV charging solutions continue to evolve but today can be described with a few elements, including the EV charging hardware, the development of the site, the source of the electricity, and auxiliary systems, such as energy storage systems.

“EVs are not a fad,” he reiterated. “There’s been so much more investment in the last few years from auto manufacturers and charging manufacturers, and there are more EV fleets than ever. The EVs are here to stay.”